


The Preacher Man

by Tezca



Category: Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace - Big and Rich(music video)
Genre: Community: smallfandombang, Gen, Preacher - Freeform, Western, gunslinger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:56:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3694844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tezca/pseuds/Tezca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>All in all after a half a day riding with John on that fateful day a year prior, Kenny knew what he rather do and officially turned his back on his old life as a preacher of a small Texan town and never looked back.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Preacher Man

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this for the [Small Fandom Big Bang](smallfandombigbang.livejournal.com) community on lj

It was 1863 and only a year after Kenny met John that he went from being a drunken preacher to being just as wanted as John was. Yes it was true he had a drinking problem, but he toned it now not only of his own accord, but at John's insistence as well. He would drill in the finer points of being a thief into his brain for the first few months. Which explained Kenny sitting out on the first couple of raids just so he could watch the master at work and including telling him that a good partner of his must be good and sober to steal.

Kenny still drinks though as does John, but it would be once in a blue moon now that the two would get stinking drunk. At first he felt a little hesitant of stealing, who wouldn't be a bit doing something that was known to be criminally wrong the first time. John did make a good point saying that if they didn't steal then they would be without food or money. In other words they were stealing to survive. 

All in all after a half a day riding with John on that fateful day a year prior, Kenny knew what he rather do and officially turned his back on his old life as a preacher of a small Texan town and never looked back. John was the first real friend he had in years and when pressed he would tell you that John understood him the most outside of his parents and siblings.

They were in a town in Arizona near a mine that John had picked to be the next thing they would strike. They were to go in and get out like lighting, so fast that no one would be none the wiser. There was a reason why they were on the track to becoming well known criminals.

"Well we got a hundred and fifty bucks from yesterday," Kenny announced, looking at John.

"Great, but I would like that gold though, if we get enough we may not have to steal again."

Somehow Kenny knew that that wasn't going to happen, he had a feeling that John loved being a criminal too much to stop. He loves the rush of it, the feeling of it and Kenny would always seem notice an evil smirk of sorts whenever John makes a kill. 

He didn't have to act so damn proud every time he killed someone though, that he can do without.

"Hopefully..." Kenny said, in a wishful thinking kind of way, "I would like to own a ranch and settle there, become a farmer."

John just let out a laugh, which by now wasn't too shocking, "Kenny, you really think I'm cut out to be a farmer? No way man it's too boring....nothing about farming gives me the same feeling as stealing and using my gun on those hapless folk that would've squealed on us..." John said as he brought his gaze over to where Kenny was sitting on the bed, staring at him with his intense blue eyes before going to put his jacket on and grab his guns.

"I can't bring myself to kill someone John."

John then turned his head to stare at him with a serious look, "You will Kenny. One of these days you will, you can't run through life being a thief without killing to keep you from getting caught! Now come on, let's get a bite to eat before we strike and I don't want you getting drunk you hear?"

"Yes, one glass only," Kenny promised as he got up and got ready, grabbing his guns to keep at his side.

The boys went to the local saloon to grab a bite to eat and true to his words, Kenny only had one drink. Soon they found themselves on their horses and John reminded him again that they are suppose to go in and get out like lightning before setting off on the fastest path to the mine. 

The two jumped off their horses once the mine was in sight and the two guards there immediately took after the boys to try and stop them in vain. John managed to punch one of the guards before shooting his brains out while Kenny took care of the other.

"John I got him!" Kenny shouted after knocking said guard out before grabbing his bag and running off towards the mine. 

"Kenny wait..." John yelled and Kenny stopped in his tracks and faced him, "Get all the gold you can, I'll stay and watch."

Kenny nodded in understanding and ran into the mine, looking around the place for the gold before spotting it. He ran over and immediately starting grabbing handfuls of gold and putting it into the bag.

Meanwhile John hid behind a rock opposite the rocky cliff on the other side, keeping watch and secretly hoping some person would come up. Just then he heard footsteps coming up on the dusty path and it wasn't a guard. John evilly smirked when he noticed he was alone.

The guy got off the horse and looked around, certain that he heard something, he walked up to the entrance of the mine, nervous that it might be robbers or highway bandits. It was at this time that John decided to make his move, moving up from behind the rock.

"Hold it right there cowboy..." John said, walking up to the guy and holding the gun up to his head, “What are you planning on doing?"

The guy held up his hands out to the side, away from his holsters, not really seeming to be nervous about the gun to his head, "Depends on what you do."

John cocked his head a bit to the side, barely in surprise as he done this song and dance so many time it was second nature to him. He decided he had enough as he took a glance over to the rocky cliff, "You know..."

He started before shooting the guy dead in the chest and kept on talking, "Now you know what I'm gonna do."

In the meantime Kenny was grabbing the gold, filling the bag the best he could. He even hid some of the smaller pieces of gold in his hat, having become accustomed to doing so in the year riding with John. He then heard the faint footsteps of someone coming, cause a sense of dread to go through his body before relaxing a bit due to his friend's expertise. He can trust John to take care of this stuff.

Kenny turned his head just in time to see John walk up and put the gun to the other guy's head. He quickly turned his head back to the gold as no matter how many times John shoots someone, especially someone innocent, he can't bear to watch the actual shooting. He took a deep breath as he mentally prepared to hear the actual shooting, which just happened a minute later as he was putting more gold in the bag.

He could feel his shoulders twitch a bit, he was glad it wasn't that noticeable anymore. He doesn't really want another one of those talks from John, nor does he want him to notice the small reaction he still gets.

Just then he heard John's shouting his name and telling him to come on out, "I gotta get my loot!"

"Coming," Kenny shouted as he ran over and was about to jump on his horse when he noticed the dead body. 

He was about to make a comment, but decided against it as he looked at John and just showed him his bag. He was in the criminal business now, and John will not have it, "I filled my bag pretty good."

John however just gave him a you oughta be used to this by now look, using his full middle name as he usually sometimes do to mean he is dead serious about whatever he is about to say.

"Kenneth, you know he would've gone to the sheriff or Marshall if I had let him live..." John then looked over at the rocky cliff, "We're better off with him dead."

John then looked at Kenny's gun then at Kenny with the same serious look as before, "I gotta get my bag..." John paused mid sentence and pointed at Kenny before going into the mine, "And watch the guards."

"Yes." Kenny said as he got onto the horse. Kenny wondered how he can ever get used to shooting people in cold blood, he doesn't know how John can live with himself doing that. But the Virginian realized he did have a point back there, if the guy had lived then they would've been good as busted.

Kenny tied a knot on his bag to prevent anything from spilling out once he got onto the horse. He watches John disappear into the mine as he got his gun and started looking around. They didn't seem to be waking so that was good he thought.

He took a deep breath though to keep himself calm and steady, he liked John and he was pretty much the only friend he has now ever since he was pushed into an alcoholic spiral after losing his wife Christiev to a disease years ago, back when he was still a reputable preacher. Now he's just a wanted man, part of the notorious duo of thieves out there, but if you ask him, John was a good enough friend to him to want to stay with him.

He just wished he was a tad more understanding on the whole killing innocents front, but he saw his points.

Just then Kenny heard the faint sound of someone waking up, it was one of the guards, specifically the one Kenny knocked out. He then felt a shot of nerves coming, but he didn't dare show them as he raised his gun at the guy and took the safety off. He could feel himself breathing heavier at the same time, but thankfully it was silent.

John would say something cool at this point, but he couldn't say anything due to nerves. He still didn't let it be shown though, lest he want another one of those talks from John again. It didn't help that he saw a look of recognition in the guard's eyes.

"Ow...who the...William what the..." Kenny freaked out and shot the guy between the eyes.

John's head shot around when he he heard the gunshot, causing him to instinctively hunch down, covering his head. He then tore out his gun and made his way back to to the mine entrance, still crouching down a bit. He then stood up and leaned against the wooden frame as he looked out. 

"No way.." John actually said out loud, not being able to tell where Kenny was pointing his gun. He also noticed that Kenny was frozen in that position, even when he let the gun fell to the ground. John walked up to get a better look and felt a surge of pride for his friend when he saw the bloody corpse on the ground. John smiled proudly like a dad when he sees his kid doing great at something, "That was a damn good shot Kenny!"

John let out a small, but full of pride kind of laugh before refocusing and turning serious again as he looked up at Kenny, "Ken? Hey..."

Kenny had let the gun fall out of his hand a few seconds ago, and was still frozen in the same position, even after hearing John's footsteps. His mind was still processing what had just happened. He just shot an innocent, the first in his life. How does John go through life just being able to take someone life without much regard while stealing things? He thought of his parents and how disappointed in him they might be if they knew he just killed someone. Scratch that, he knows they would be very disappointed...the most they ever been in his life. He couldn't bear to imagine it. He felt like he was going to vomit.

No, no he must not...not in front of John at least. He took a breath to hold in the threatening nausea in his stomach as he heard his name being called.

"He...he called me William...." Kenny started off in a soft voice, still feeling pretty shaken inside, "No one ever calls me that except....except my relatives and...my dead wife’s brother..."

He was still staring at the dead guard as he talked, the urge to vomit growing before losing the nausea battle and throwing up on the other side of his horse, away from John. Now he was gonna get one of those talks again.

Kenny figured he might has well just get it out since he probably embarrassed himself already with throwing up just now, "I don't know how you're able to live with...killing someone in cold blood like this.....I get your points but..."

John cocked his head again, “The guy knew you? Are you sure about that, Kenny?” He looked back down to the bloody face, “..because you just shot him." John said as he looked back toward Kenny, who was off his horse now who winced again and put his hand on his stomach again.

"I'm sure...that...that is my dead wife's, Christiev's younger brother..." Kenny started to reply, doing his best to keep his gaze on John and not on the dead body, "I didn't noticed until....until now."

Kenny then put his hand on his stomach again, feeling the bile coming back, he still felt like he was going to be sick. He could feel himself still breathing heavy, he just wants to get out of here as quick as possible as he doesn't want to look at the bloody face any longer and just lie down in a bed somewhere.

John then looked back away from the mine and down through the canyon. He gazed over the other guard and brought his eyes back to Kenny, “Come on, we gotta get outta here. Let me get my loot.” 

Kenny could only nod slightly and then bent over and putting his hands on his knees, staring at the ground as John went back for his gold. Kenny shook his head - hard - twice, before standing back up to get on his horse.

They didn't get ‘out like lightning’, but they got their loot, and it was a lot. They stopped riding a couple times along the way when Kenny started to panic again.

“You need some whiskey to calm you down.” Kenny agreed hoping he could swallow it.

They made it back to without getting shot or caught, John had starting thinking wen try we're heading towards the bar and entering. He looked back at Kenny when he got to the foot is the steps leading up to the saloon, he was still impressed by the shot Kenny made back there.

Kenny was still in another world, even when they ordered and sat down at a table in the corner. John was going to say something comforting but he was never good at that so he just went on complementing Kenny again.

"Damn Kenny that was amazing shot you did back there!"

Kenny still had that blank look in his eyes and John wanted to know what he wanted to do now that he had his first kill. John wanted to know if he would get over it because what pod is a partner if he was to whine about his mistakes all the time.

He waited until the whiskey was delivered before leaning in close, "Alright Kenny here's the deal, now I won't hold it against you if you want to leave this partnership, I won't kill you or anything, but I see potential in you. I can see you becoming a great marksman, a sniper..." John started off which seemed to be enough for the idle man to be brought back to reality, "But you won't reach your potential if you keep having problems with some aspects of being a criminal. I like ya Kenny, I consider you my friend, but in order to ride with me, you have to get over having to kill people." 

Kenny took all of the information John told him and processed it in his mind. He was silent in thought as he wondered how he really felt and wanted to do. The good side of him was screaming to just run away, run away and repent in his sin of cold blooded murder. He didn't need to kill any longer.

But the bad side in him, the chaotic side was telling him that he needed to kill anyone that could jeopardize his and John’s freedom. It was telling him to just admit it to himself that he liked the rush and thrill of stealing. He realized deep down that he did like the feel of power with a gun, this must've been the same kind of feel John has whenever he wields a gun. 

The logical part of him was also telling him in conjecture with his chaotic side that he'd felt like he was alive and happy in the past year with John then the years he spent drinking, mourning the loss of his wife and guilt that he couldn't still go on and do his job like he used to.

"You think you can get over it? Or would you like to walk out that door and right back to your life of being nothing more than a drunk and a preacher no one respects?" John finished.

Kenny looked at the table before looking up at John with a glint in his eye and a grin as he knew exactly what to say now.

"I can learn to live with it. One rule though, my sons and my family are off limits."

John looked at him for a second before nodding, "Alright fair deal. So are my brother and two sisters.” 

The next order of business for the boys was to meet up with the clients that had hired them to steal some gold for them, they were to meet them at an abandoned farm about ten odd something miles the next day. So that's what they did they next morning, riding out on the road early in the morning on their horses. 

It was a couple hours or so before they made it to the farmhouse and John rapped on the door with the predetermined pattern so they would know it was them.

A second later a long brown haired women opened the door with a taller man behind and let them in.

"Hello," Laura greeted with a smile, "We're really appreciative that you guys are able to do this."

"Anytime. Here's your bag of gold." Kenny smiled, handing the bag to her while John just nodded a bit.

"And our end of the bargain," John asked, he was used to some clients not owning up to paying them for their services. John watched their faces for any signs that they didn't do it or was lying. Luckily for them, he didn't see any that warranted a gun to be used(though that always at the same time make him a little disappointed).

"It's in the kitchen, I'll go get it." Troy said and walked off to get the cut of meat he promised to give them in exchange for the gold.

"So you guys are headed to Canada?" Kenny asked, John almost always let Kenny do small talk like this when needed as John isn't usually up for it to pass the time. He just wants to do the exchange and be on to the next town as quick as possible. Although he can do it if he wants to.

Laura nodded and smile, "Yep, we're going to go through California and Oregon and then the Washington territory."

"That's quite a ways..." John commented.

"It is, but it's worth it, don't want anything to happen to Troy."

Just then Troy came back with the meat, handed to them and said their goodbyes with a promise to the clients that they better not squeal them out for any reasons. 

"I will find you," John reminded them in a serious tone.

"We honestly won't..." Laura promised before Troy injected his promise too.

"We'll shoot anyone too that comes after you two even, we both are good shots. We own you a favor after doing this."

"Alright then, come on Kenny let's head out." John said with a smile of a job well down and walked out the door. Kenny gave his thanks and byes before heading out after John.

5 years passed and doing those years the duo became one of the most feared pair of thieves in the nation and the amount for their capture was pretty damn high. Around half a million or so, and Kenny had become one of the best snipers for the crime world. His skills at shooting rivals that of the best of the best gunslingers out there.

 

The duo was also given the nickname Big and Rich by the press due to the consistently high stakes their targets had earned them. It was catchy enough to earn a place in the minds of their would-be employers and the general public enough to just putting the nickname on the wanted posters would instantly be recognized. Whether they were on your side or against you, Big & Rich was a name that made people take notice. The two relished in their infamous glory, but did their best to still be down to earth and humble. Wouldn’t do them any good to let all of the praise go to their head and become complacent.

The two were currently in the Colorado Rockies, somewhere near Colorado Springs, John wanted to see how much better Kenny has gotten at shooting from long distances over the past few years with some target practice, so earlier in the day they decided to make a trek through a forest and kill some small game, namely squirrels or birds or anything that was small and an animal.

Kenny and John were sitting behind a bush hunched low as Kenny looked for a suitable target. He wanted to impress John with how good he’s gotten and yeah Kenny knew he was never any doubts about his abilities as a marksman, but he wanted to affirm John’s faith in his skills, and for himself as well. He is confident don’t get him wrong, but he can be self-critical sometimes and always strives to be the best and really live up to the image he’d received all across the west(and parts of Mexico and Canada as well).

Just then he heard a bird chirp high up in a tree that had got to be at least 50 feet away, if not then a bit closer, Kenny held up his rifle and took careful aim before shooting the bird clear off the branch. Impressed, John let out a happy laugh full of amazement and clapped his hand on Kenny’s back with a big smile, “That was impressive Kenny! To think five years ago you would be hesitant to use a gun in general and now look at you son, you are the stuff of legend when it comes to gun shooting.”

Kenny faced him as he listened to him, realizing how funny life can change so drastically in a short amount of time. He was once the butt of jokes, someone whose name would be spoken in the context of a joke or gossip among people in the little town, thinking nothing of him but a drunken fool. Now people mention his name in the form of a cautionary tale, something for the parents to scare the kids from straying off the straight and narrow. The old him wouldn’t dream of being something like that, he’d never wanted to provoke fear into little kids but the present version of him is different, he now takes it as a stamp of accomplishment from what he does as a criminal.

A few nights later the two were reviewing the plan of their next heist, this time a saloon in Fairplay as they wanted to get more flasks of whiskey and bottles of scotch. Kenny had been itching to try out the new pistol he got from when they raided a passerby on his horse the previous day, “Ok Kenny you’re going to guard, I’m gonna go in and steal the alcohol and the money, got it?”

 

“Yes John.”

“Good,” John said, about to get his horse moving before he suddenly turned back with a firm, serious look on his face, “You loaded your gun right earlier?”

 

Kenny nodded and smiled, “Yes I have. Can’t become the best shooter in the West without knowing to make sure you have fresh bullets and extra ammo on hand.”

“That’s my former preacher man!” John replied with a laugh before nudging his horse into moving with Kenny following behind. They rode up casually to the saloon and loosely tied their horses to the designated place before the walked up nonchalantly and wait a good couple of minutes before they put the plan into action. 

“Get ready to guard in one two….” John whispered before taking his gun out of the holdster as he started to run into the saloon. Kenny immediately ran over to a spot blocking the entranceway with his pistol up. He could hear the commotion coming from inside, his younger partner no doubt intimidating the owner and patrons while he stood outside keeping an eye.

Just then he spotted a couple of people who was walking towards the saloon with the intent of getting drunk when they were startled into being stationary when Kenny noticed them from the corner of his eye and snapped around, aiming the gun at the terrified civilians, "If I were you I would turn the fuck around and leave...oh wait hold on, there's a problem, you might rat us out..." Kenny drawled out and he couldn’t help but let a laugh at seeing the fear of being shot on their faces. Like as if seeing fear on townspeople was the most joyous thing he saw in life.

The two pleaded to Kenny, they obviously didn’t want to be shot and killed, Kenny was amused out at how they looked a bit pathetic groveling on their knees.They heard the rumors and heard the tales as per the norm. Kenny watched for a few minutes before deciding to take pity on them, “I’ll let you live...on one condition….” Kenny said as he slowly walked up to the two guys, making a show of being a good gentleman as he put away his pistol. He then out of nowhere in the other two perspective’s punched them out out cold.

Kenny quickly raided their pockets for gold and money as he heard John calling out to him to lets go. He turned his head to see John running to his horse before he ran and jumped on his horse and rode off behind John at full speed with their loot. 

“You sounded like you were having fun guarding back there,” John stated with a smile a few hours later at their little camp for the night. The two were eating their usual dinner of meat and beans sitting close to the fire that Kenny got going a bit ago. It was a cloudless night with a warm breeze picking up and Kenny turned his head at the sound of John’s voice before swallowing his food.

“Yeah, I’ve grown to like guarding just as much as the actual looting. I like to use my fists to punch those hapless suckers before relieving them of anything valuable,” Kenny started as he took a look at the stars, they were bright that, twinkling in the sky with the moon up in the sky casting moonlight on the ground below before looking back at John who was listening intently to him, “Give me a great sense of living you know...this whole being a criminal and wanted outlaws. I want to thank you for helping me realize my true destiny in life. You created me and I say that as a compliment.”

John could feel himself freezing in place for a split second when he heard him say that, just as he was going to put his fork in his mouth with another bite of beans. He could feel himself with a bit of confusion along with something in his gut now giving him the sense something was wrong with this picture, that maybe he made a mistake in pushing Kenny down this road. He remembers Kenny hesitating to use a gun on a innocent guard or someone walking up to whatever place they were looting. It took him 10 different times for him to guard and do the job without asking John if he could just do the looting.

And his first kill, which was accidental really, it send him into a dazed state of mind racked with guilt and remorse of the highest order combined with an internal morally crisis after what he told him at the bar that fateful night, John set his fork down on his plate before getting his words together and willing his lips to move, “I created you? What exactly do you mean by that Kenny? Did you really not like being a preacher that much?”

“I did, but….after my wife died my life went downhill from there...starting drinking, lost my house and I had to live in that little place next to the stables for a few years….I was in a rut and a low point in my life until you came along. Give me a new sense of worth, reinvigorated me. You gave me new reasons to live my life John.” Kenny replied and said reply didn’t settle the feeling in his gut. 

When he first met Kenny he seemed to be a guy that had love in his heart for everyone he meets, especially apparently for the little kids in the town he lived in down in Texas. He didn’t see it first hand, but Kenny would tell him tales of how he would read stories from the bible or his own imagination to kids after his sermon was finished or whenever he and his wife babysat them at their house. They even had two kids of their own and they had already moved out on their own by the time his life fell apart. 

John had met Kenny back in 1862 waking up in the bed of Kenny’s sorta run down little shamble of a house. He had been rendered fully unconsciousness as his tired body hit the soft mattress a few hours prior. He came into town falling in and out of consciousness from an ambush earlier that morning. It resulted in a head wound big enough to make him feel his strength draining from him every minute he rode on the horse to get away from the gang he encountered. 

John fought them off easy enough and was able to escape with this life intact, but the injury was taking its toll and it was taking every ounce of his energy to stay up on the horse and not fall down a heap and fall into darkness. Luckily when he did he was promptly rescued by Kenny, who had just been previously thrown out of the bar like a crazy old drunk, and the girl who worked at the saloon. 

It was only after the shootout that the two boys finally felt at ease and relaxed enough to finally get to know each other. Being thrown into the thick of things almost immediately wasn’t exactly high on the list of things they wanted to happen that day. John just wanted to finish the guys off as quick as possible and just get the hell out There wasn’t really any reason to stay at the small, run down, sleepy community (Except to go get a drink but there was the obstacle of not having enough money to do so). They both were just relieved that they were able to escape without any grave injuries and John did felt thankful that Kenny jumped and helped him out. 

No one in town really felt eager to wish Kenny a visit back per his words when they got to talking. Kenny had been the town's preacher for many years, a respectful one until 3 years prior when he was relegated to the town's rambling drunk who most everyone would all be too happy to see him leave and they can go back to a monotonous lifestyle. He would go from preaching about God and Jesus to sitting in a corner of the saloon numbing the memory of his wife dying in bed after battling a sickness for weeks. And Kenny was smart enough to deduce that he wasn't really welcomed anymore. Only problem is, he didn't know where to go and he didn't really have any adequate amount of supplies to survive on the dusty road. 

Kenny worried voice brought him out of his thoughts and facing him, “What’s wrong? Are you alright….you look like I’m going to plan on robbing you and stabbing you in the back,” Kenny laughed softly before shaking his head a bit like if he just heard the craziest and most absurd thing in the world, “You know I wouldn’t do that John, I like you enough and I consider you a close friend.”

“Thanks, well you know I wouldn’t do the same either…I apologize, I’m probably just tired. Lets clean up and get to bed,” John suggested, only half telling the truth. Later he found himself staring up in the stars as he was lost in his thoughts while Kenny slept soundly next to him. He was still stuck on what Kenny said before, about him making him into the guy he was today. If he were to pieced together all the stories Kenny told him of his previous life then the sense he would get is that this isn’t the right kind of picture for him. He eventually pushed it in the back of his mind, he wasn’t sure what all these feelings meant about Kenny. A few seconds later he turned over to his side and closed his eyes, deciding that he would rather not think too hard it and just get some much. needed sleep.

 

The next day after getting all ready and having ate their breakfast, they sat on their horses mulling over what next heist they wanted to do and how big. John thought it was time that they go the next level in how grand their theft was, namely a big bank heist, THey have been raiding mining camps and small towns for a long time and he thought it was high time that they graduate to something bigger.

“If we’re going to pull this off then we’re gonna need help.” John pointed out and Kenny nodded. Kenny could feel a bit of nerves taking over by this idea, they have never done anything like this before. this was on a bigger scale than what he was used to.

“How many?”

“2 but they have to be really good Kenny, real sharp shooters.”

“Right, we can hold a contest to weed out the amateurs. A shooting contest.” Kenny suggested.

“Great idea, I like the way you think Kenneth,” John said with a jab of his finger in his direction with a smile before he held the reins with both hands again, “We should hold the contest and pick two people in the next town then we can all ride to Denver.”

Kenny nodded again as he agreed to the plan and rode off side by side with John down the dusty road in the hot sun. When they had made it to the next little town, it was the next day at around noon or at least early afternoon when they rode in. They put their horses in the stables and went over the game plan before they went towards the saloon. They had to be inconspicuous about the contest, they couldn’t raise attention about it obviously and John told Kenny to make sure that whoever he chooses had experience with shooting before,

It was John who went through the doors and about half of them turned their head to see who it was that walked in as Kenny came in behind him He could notice that a few of them had looks of recognition on their faces. Kenny noticed the two wanted posters for him and John out of the corner of his eyes, a bounty for a reward of $5,000 each. John’s might’ve been a bit higher, but he was already a seasoned enough thief by the time they met. Luckily those that seemed to recognized them were either too intimidated to raise the alarm or they had enough apathy to leave them alone and not cause a fuss. 

John told Kenny long ago not to make a show of noticing any wanted posters that they may come across lest the wrong people see and realize who just walked in, then next thing you know you’re in a jail like an idiot. John walked off to the side over to a table full of young looking men while he looked around at the room, wondering where to start. John said to find someone who is a pretty good shot, and who won't be likely to squeal on them.

He decided to head up to the bar after laying eyes on a pretty looking lady She had long beautiful black hair going down to her waist, or at least almost there. It was also dark as night and it worked perfectly on her with her tanned skin in his opinion. 

Kenny ordered two beers, one for him and one to offer to the lady next to him(who was currently trying to get a guy next to her to leave). She only turned and noticed the beer a minute later after she shoved the guy away, ‘“Its on me, don’t worry…” He said with a smile, “My name is Kenny.”

“Hey, sorry if I seemed a little rude...a lot of guys just think they can just go up to any women and think they would be automatically be interested in them with a stupid line.” She said with a roll of her eyes and a chuckle as she faced him, “I’m Francesca Lopez, nice to meet you.”

“Its quite alright. Nice to meet you Francesca,” Kenny said with a friendly and warm smile, “Thats a pretty name Francesa….from Mexico I take it?”

“Yep. Me and my twin brother were born in Mexico City,” She replied casually with a friendly smile back as she gave him a look over, “And the only place I can guess on where you came from is Kentucky….” Francesca said with a light laugh which Kenny did as well,

“Close, Virginia. Culpeper Virginia to be exact.”

“Oh neat. Me and my brother never been there, we’ve only been roaming around the West for the past 8 months,” She explained and Kenny gave an understanding nod, “My brother’s name is Alejandro or Alex for short, He’s actually over there at that table.” She said as she turned around in her seat and gestured towards the same table John was at.

“I see,” Kenny said as he paused for a second before got the ball rolling on the questions, John had told him to make sure and read their reactions when they realize who they were as there could be trouble and they would have to get their tails out of there as fast as they could, “You see the guy in the black cowboy hat, his name is John, he’s a close friend of mine.”

She looked at the cowboy hatted man as she mulled over the information, feeling a sense like she heard those two names in combination before, Kenny had noticed her thinking for a minute, her eyes up aimlessly to the sky before she turned back to face him, “Why does those names sound familiar?” She said with a knowing smile, and a few seconds later she remembered where she heard it before, it was the names of the famed thieving duo Big and RIch. 

“So you know who we are then?”

“Yeah, took me a second there but yeah. Me and Alex heard about you guys once or twice around here. They say you are the best shooter in the West.”

Kenny nodded with a smile, He had felt a sort of pride swell up through his body, the kind that one gets after being recognize for your skills and actions by people you haven’t met before, word of mouth was working to stroke his ego more, but he knows to never become arrogant and cocky about it.

She paused as she finished up what was left in her drink as she looked at him, looking him over as if she was determining just what kind of guy he is, “Me and my brother actually strive to at least have half the shooting skills you have...I can shoot better than half of the Americanos out here, but I admit I'm not the best,” She continued and Kenny just turned to look at her with a smile.

“Well maybe I can show you two a few pointers,” Kenny said with a smile, “But you have to prove yourself first.”

“Prove myself? Hmm explain further please?...” Francesca said after mulling it over for a second. She then faced Kenny with a small, yet curious smile that told him that she was confident enough in her skills to show him and silently telling him to bring it on. Plus it probably helped in favor of her decision that Kenny looked ruggedly handsome and despite his reputation, showed an aura of respect to her that seemed to be missing from the other patrons that wasn’t her brother.

“I’ll be glad too...” Kenny said smiling, equally smitten by the women in front of him as she is of him, “Me and John are planning a bank heist down in Denver, and this one is going to be bigger than we ever done before….so we need two more people to help us out, two other really good shooters and we'reholding a shooting contest to decide."

"And you chose me? After I just admitted I'm not the best at shooting..." She laughed with a smile.

Kenny made a soft chuckleas well, "Well I already tried asking other people here, but either they were just boasting and exaggerating their actual skills or they were too intimidated by us."

"Yeah, I heard about most of the people in here just make up lies about how great they are at shooting or whatever."

"Seems to be the case in half the saloons me and John would go into. So you're up for it?"

Kenny smiled as he awaited his reply. It didn’t take her too long to make a decision as she gave him a nod. The fact that she caught a quick glimpse of her brother at the other table talking to John with the other man, having a feeling that he would also agree to the contest. Her brother always liked to show off his shooting skills, especially in front of well known shooters like the Big and Rich boys. Kenny then put down some money on the counter for the tab before he got up with Francesca to head over to where his partner was.

John was currently at the table using a boisterous voice that got the young men riled up about the contest and the subsequent joining them for the heist when the other two came up. John heard the footsteps coming up from behind him and turned around to see Kenny and a women. John took a look at her before he faced Kenny, “She’s your pick?”

Kenny nodded and smiled, his hands in his pockets, “Yep, I have a good feeling about her, she says she’s better at shooting then half the idiots out there.” He finished with a chuckle.

“Really? Well I hope you’re right about that, which I have no doubts you are,” John said with a smile and a lighthearted laugh before he walked up to Francesca to introduce himself with a shake of his hand, “I’m John, nice to meet you ma’am.”

“Likewise sir, I’m Francesca.” She said with a smile before John turned to the group of men at the table and motioned them to follow him and Kenny out the bar to somewhere a good enough distance from the small town. Once they all made it to the spot, the boys had the potential helpers form a crescent circle around them while John started to lay down how the contest was going to go. 

Which was to pretty much choose a target off somewhere in the distance and make a good, clean shot at it, “Oh and afterwards I’m gonna have Kenny here show you y’all what shooting really is.” John finished while gesturing to Kenny who gave off an intimidating sort of smile.

The contest went underway and soon they were down to the final four, now all they had to do was pick the two winners after having a final shootout between all four of them. The boys at this point had a good feeling on who they were going to choose, it was basically their first pick.

“The lucky winners of this little contest is Francesca and her brother Alex,” Kenny announced, John turning to him in bit of confusion while the two that weren’t picked stomped off while cussing him and John out.

“Brother and sister?”

Kenny nodded, “Yep, twins.”

“Yeah, I heard some people call us the Lopez Twins...” Alex joked with a light hearted laugh, his sister rolling her eyes a bit as she gave him a quick look before turning to John and Kenny.

“He’s just joking, we only been up here for a few months,” She explained with a friendly smile.

John just nodded and gave an easygoing smile back that indicated that it was alright to make jokes and whatnot. Which is true, he and Kenny makes jokes like that all the time and they wanted to make the new members feel comfortable, “Alright, congratulations. you two are officially members of this little Big and Rich gang. Now I don’t want to make you two feel like you're in for a hard and rough time, we’re two easy going, laid back guys that want to overall have fun, but there will be some rules; first off we’re your bosses so just as we respect you, you have to pay that back, you can call us by our first names by the way, I’m John, he’s Kenny so you know. Two…” John continued as he held up two fingers in front of him, “....any plan we have for any heist you have to follow them exactly otherwise you can kiss your ass goodbye and get thrown in jail! Got it?”

The twins nodded and the four headed off to the stables to get their horses before riding down the trail out of town. Along the road Kenny ending up riding behind John’s horse next to Francesca, while Alex was immerse in a conversation with John in front. He had been wanting to know more about her, “So your mother was a seamstress?”

“Yep, and my father was a farmer, or used to be before he moved to Mexico City and met my mom.”

“So was mine. Still farming last time I saw him,” Kenny said chuckling with a soft smile as he faced her before looking ahead of him as he continued, “The Alphin farmhouse been in the family since before the American Revolution on my mother’s side.”

“Oh wow that’s cool. Our mother’s family lived in the same place since back when Mexico City was known as Tenochtitlan.”

“Fascinating, so that means during the time of the Aztec Empire correct?”

“Yep, you’re smart. Not a lot of people know that.” She said with an impressed smile.

“Well I read a lot in my spare time.” Kenny explained as he took a look around at the pretty blue sky and the scenery around them. He turned back to pay attention to Francesca when she started speaking once again.

“My brother and I like to joke that we’re descended from the last Aztec emperor, Cuauhtemoc,” She shared with a soft laugh, “We don’t really know for sure, but my brother was named after him, Alejandro Cuauhtemoc Lopez. Me on the other hand, I was named after my aunt and an Aztec goddess, Francesca Xochiquetzal Lopez.”

“Cool. I think that’s a very pretty name.” Kenny complimented with a warm smile.

“Thank you. You mind if I ask you what’s your full name?”

“I don’t mind, its William Kenneth Alphin, but I prefer to be called Kenny.” 

“Gotcha and I like your name.” She said with a half smitten smile as she faced him before paying attention to the road ahead. They continued on with relatively nothing too much happened the rest of the day. The four were understandably nervous about the upcoming heist, especially the one with years of thieving under his belt, ie John.

It was the next morning and Kenny woke up to find John missing, he looked around and noticed the twins already up and about around camp. One was making breakfast and the other was getting the horses ready. He looked around some more until he spotted John a feet or two away sitting on a rock with his back towards camp. He got and walked over, already having a good feeling that his mind was swimming with what ifs and the worst case scenarios that might happen.

“Well at least we know we picked good hardworking people to be a part of our little gang,” Kenny started off, causing John to turn his head to acknowledge his presence as he sat down next to him, “Francesca cooking some meat.”

“I can smell it from here, did she puts spices in?” John asked absentmindedly. Kenny just shrugged.

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious.” 

“Hey Kenny how old those kids anyways? They don’t seem much older than when I started doing this?” John asked.

 

“I dunno, probably mid twenties why?”

“No reason its just….” John stopped, why did he ask that question anyways when Kenny knew he doesn’t really care about the choices one makes when they are young, as long as they were good at what they were doing, why does he care, “I don’t know man, they had a choice to get into this business, I didn’t. I was 18 when I had to start stealing to survive. Hell I had to do just that even before I started doing this, had to help take care of my younger siblings.” 

“Well I’m doing this to survive too as you know since I’ve been your partner for the last five years.”

“You were given the privilege of making a choice to steal too Kenneth, and please you and possibly the twins too didn’t have to do this to survive before and probably....” John paused after realizing what he was saying and sign apologetically, “I’m..I’m sorry, I don’t know what my deal is right now.”

“Its ok, it could be the stress of the heist we’re about to do. That’s later on today isn’t it?”

“Yeah, and I want this to all go perfect. I mean one mistake and those kids are going to be screwed for the rest of their lives....”

A light breeze picked up just then blowing through the two men hair as Kenny was about to make a reply when they heard the sound of boot on dirt that indicated someone was coming up behind them.

“Breakfast is ready,” Alex announced as the two turned around to face him. They got up and were all about to head back when John gently grabbed Alex’s shoulder to stop him for a second.

“Question, how old are you two anyways?” John asked.

“25 sir.” 

John let go of him and looked at Kenny, “I thought they were 20 or something….still pretty young though,” He said the last part mostly to himself even though it was loud enough for Kenny to hear.

The two walked back and sat down as Francesca handed their plates to him before grabbing her own and taking a seat next to Kenny. It wasn’t before too long that John started giving the details of the plan for later when they enter Denver. John took a bite of his breakfast before starting, “Alright to start this off you all have to understand we’re not gonna have time afterwards to stop and at a saloon and get drunk, we need to get out of there fast after we’ve gotten the loot…”

“We’ll probably have to go the backway out of Denver to avoid anyone potentially spotting us.” Kenny added and John nodded. The twins were holding their attention firmly on the older men and taking the information.

John continued after he looked at Kenny then back at the twins, “We have to do this precise and smooth planning, we cannot afford to make a single margin of error. Kenny,..” John said pointing his finger at him before moving to Alex and Francesca, “...you’ll be guarding the front of the door, Alex you’ll be guarding the inside, Frances...uh..can I call you that?”

“Its fine with me, I don’t care,” She said and John nodded alright.

“Frances you’ll be going to the tellers and demanding money from them, I will be doing the bank vault and we have to do our parts as smoothly as possible. Any questions?”

“Just an admission of something sir, if we’re going to get out of there really quick via the backway then me and my sister wouldn’t know because we never really been there too long to know of a way.” Alex said, in between bites.

“That’s ok, I happen to know a way Alex. I’ve robbed in Denver before a few times actually, one of the earliest towns I stole money from so I can lead the way.”

“Sounds good to me,” Kenny said and the twins agreed before John told them all to start packing up and get the horses ready as if they were going to be able to do this while it was still light enough then they needed to get going as soon as possible. On the way over Kenny would feel a wave of nerves coming over him, this was going to the be the first time they ever did a robbery at a more well known and more secured bank in a more populous area. He felt like having a drink to calm his nerves down before they do this, but he knew John would never go for that idea. 

John would rather execute this or any other plan really as soon as possible and get the hell out, then have drinks. He knew that very well, but also knew drinking would help clear his mind of all the what if questions it likes to conjure up. John had to be at least somewhat nervous about this too he thought as he glanced at him on his horse. Who in their right mind wouldn’t be worried about something like this? Knowing John he most likely hundred percent right, but Kenny also knew John would never really readily admit it out loud, only rarely would he let something like that slip out.

Alex on the other hand was showing signs that he was nervous, fidgeting with the reins in his hands and looking aimlessly into the distance ahead of him as if he was lost in thought, “Alex are you alright? You look nervous…” Kenny mentioned which was just enough to bring him back to Earth and turning his head.

“What? Oh..uh yeah, just nervous sir. We actually never really stole anything of this magnitude to be honest...just little treats around the house and random little things no one would care about really…” Alex started rambling a bit, he could feel himself sweating from the worry of what Kenny’s reaction might be. It felt a bit intimidating revealing this to a well seasoned thief as he was, “And it was mostly me than her if you want to get really specific. Sorry, I’m pretty sure you’re not nervous...” He finished with a bit of an awkward laugh.

Kenny paused in silence for a few seconds, “Actually I am a little bit, actually make that a bit more than a little bit,” Kenny signed as he glanced up at John who was in front of Francesca before looking back at Alex, “I haven’t stole a thing in my life before I met John, except maybe treats when I was a kid,” Kenny revealed. Francesca turned her head from overhearing, she was close enough for that to happen, her interest in the conversation piqued up enough to pay attention to it.

“Really?” Alex said a bit surprised, he had assumed that someone like Kenny would’ve been a well seasoned criminal with say more than ten years of experience under his belt.

“Yeah, I was only a criminal for the last 5 years,” Kenny started, not really entirely sure he wanted to explain how he came from being a respected preacher with a wife and kids to some low life criminal. Luckily he didn’t have to think on it too much further as John announced to the rest of the group that they were about to enter the city. He took the opportunity to just let the topic drop as they all rode into the bustling city. 

\----------

The heist was a success to say the least and the four were currently sitting around camp celebrating the steal. They also had manage to evade the authorities in Denver thanks to John’s knowledge on the back alleys of the city, He knew which ones to pick, he knew which ones were the most likely to be deserted and devoid of people. They ran into only one person on the way who looked like he had seen better days. He didn’t bother them or anything, just seemed apathetic to the commotion. Instead he just turned over to take a nap as Kenny noticed when he looked back as he was running for a second.

The gang netted about $4,000 dollars which of course naturally brought them much reason to be happy and cheering, breaking out what bottles of alcohol they had. John and Kenny were laughing as they high fived each other before they took a look again at the amount of bottles they had

They noticed they only had 3 bottles and the boys felt like the amount of alcohol was not sufficient enough for the occasion. So they all unanimously decided to make the trek to the next big city to have some fun and spend some of their newfound riches. Now all they have to do is actually choose a specific big city to go to. 

They were sitting around the campfire, enamored in an animated debate over where to go to while eating their dinner, laughing amidst the suggestions of various cities and the reason they came up to not go there(too far, have too many priors there, doesn’t know the city layout enough in case they need a quick escape or they have a relative living there in Kenny’s case). Alex was the one that seemed to be the most quiet relatively speaking; from an outside perspective one might assume he was just soft spoken or something in general, but really he didn’t really have any suggestions so he was just fine listening to them while eating up his dinner.

“Well I would suggest Mexico City but I might be biased,” Alex lightly quipped at one point which brought a round of laughter. 

“And plus that would be to damn far away son,” John pointed out, laughing with a friendly smile.

“How about San Francisco? I’ve been wanting to check out that city,” Francesca suggested. Everyone else took a second to think about and nodded in agreement.

“Great idea, I don’t think me and John stolen anything too big there…” Kenny started, but stopped as he tried to recall if they ever had any wanted posters there. He knew he and John have been to the big city before but that was three years ago and they only broken into a few houses in the dead of the night before leaving. In a nutshell the boys felt like they would be relatively safe there in the city while having a vacation without worrying too much if they were gonna get caught.

The trip was pretty much uneventful over the next couple of days or so. They hadn’t really came across any golden opportunities to steal, it was either dusty roads and fields as far as the eye could see or run down communities with nothing worth stealing from the few folks that lived there. Not that they were expecting to get any good hits on the way, they had more than enough money to take a break from stealing for a good month or so. It was that they always grab the open door of oppurtunity so to speak and take advantage of it should said opportunity arises.

An unexpected break came in the form of an abandoned mining camp set up near a small cave in the rocky cliffs nearby. They had just made it into Utah the day the before and they were already looking for a day of rest anyways from traveling under the hot sun and alone the lonely dusty roads with nothing but each other to talk too. It was John who had spotted the deserted settlement first, bringing his horse to a complete stop as the others followed his lead. They looked at it curiously and John noticed that most of the stuff was still there and the tents were still up.

Kenny and John were the first of the group to enter the settlement to get a closer look, “They must’ve only just the the tents up recently,” Kenny observed as he looked around, peering into the inside of the tents. He noticed the sheets on the beds were hastily thrown about like they got out of there in a hurry at night,

“Looks like they sure got out in a hurry,” John added as he looked inside whenever the wind picked up the flaps just enough to get a tiny glimpse from his vantage point. 

“Maybe it was an Indian raid or something?” Francesca suggested.

“Could be,” John said, looking over his shoulder to face her before turning his attention to the empty camp, he was already having a feeling that they must’ve not gotten much out of the mine if they only erected all of this recently, “At any rate I say we stay here for the day to rest up and we can reap whatever gold thats left in the cave. I reckon there’s still some left if they haven’t had much time to get out of here.”

The other three agreed and they all got off of their horses to a nearby that the people previously put up for their horses. John was looking at the entrance to the cave for a second before turning back to the three, “Alex you come with me to check out the cave,” John said before facing the other two, “You two stay and guard just in case.”

“You got it sir,” Francesca said, getting out her pistol and checking it to see if it was loaded completely. The boys turned around and disappeared in the direction of the cave while she and Kenny took their spots in front of the entrance. A minute or two passed between them before either one spoke up, “I don’t really think theres gonna be any problems, I mean we hardly saw anyone out here save for a few little farmhouses so the chances of a traveler coming is slim,” Kenny stated as he looked right and the left before facing her.

“But John likes to have all his bases covered and actually this is pretty smart,” Kenny finished,

“Yeah never know what could happen,” She responded with a soft chuckle before falling into silence as she watched the path ahead. She kept a vigilant eye even some thirty minutes later when she felt boredom was starting to sink in. She had thought she heard someone was sneaking up nearby when she heard a rustling sound so she immediately turned her gun and aimed in the direction. It turned out to be just a squirrel and Kenny lightly laughed.

“I’ve done that plenty of times before, just means you’re really aware of your surroundings...John told me that, good to be aware when you want to be a good gunman….” Kenny said, keeping it as casual as he could. Kenny had wanted to started a conversation to obviously stave off the boredom, but was feeling kinda awkward as he wasn’t sure what to talk about, “John helped...trained me in the early days.”

“Oh neat. I don’t want to step on your toes, but you don’t mind if I ask you something about your previous life?”

“Sure, go ahead,” Kenny said with a soft smile, looking at her for a second before looking ahead.

“What did you used to do before you decided to do all this criminal stuff?”

“I was a preacher man,” Kenny replied.

Francesca looked at him in response, “Boy that is the last thing I would hear a preacher doing, now I’ve seen everything,” She joked before continuing on, her curiosity taking over in the lighthearted vibe surrounded them, “So what made you, a man of the bible, fall from the grace of God and into the life of a thief?”

Kenny was silent for a second mulling over whether he should tell on not, but decided to anyways because it wasn’t like he was ashamed of his past at all, in fact he fondly remembers the happy years when his kids was growing up, his wife was still alive and he was a well respected preacher, “My wife died and everything just fell apart….I started drinking to numb the pain and grief I felt after losing her. My sons were just young adults when this happened and they had already been making plans to go live and settle where Aunt Charlene lives in Virginia so they left a few months after.”

“Oh, sorry to hear that…”

“Thanks. It was some of the greatest years of my life….married, raising a family, Helping others...oh I would just love seeing the joy and happiness on people when I give a sermon and everyone would sings the hymns and recount the lesson that the Lord taught us. It...it made me feel alive Francesca,” Kenny explained as he turned around to face her.

“Sounds like you were a well-liked preacher once upon a time.”

“Yeah I was, until I started drinking and eventually met John and....nowadays people just fear me,” Kenny said, with a tone of sombering realization of the last part of his words left his mouth. Kenny absented mindly just stood there, gazing aimlessly ahead. It was like if something just clicked inside his brain as he suddenly realized what he just told her, they were honestly the best part of his life. Has he been wrong after all in thinking he was really the happiest being a criminal, traveling around with John? Sure he valued his friendship with John a lot, he considered him one of his close friends, and he was one of the first people to see him as a person and not some bumbling idiotic drunk.

“Oh god I’m think I’m starting to question my choice for living for the last five years now…” Kenny admitted, putting his gun down by his side and facing the other women with a world-weary sigh, “Would you believe I only killed just once despite my reputation? It happened 5 years ago and I just...it was someone that recognized that me and I just freaked out man.”

“Oh, I assumed it was one of your first times stealing something then?”

“Yeah, it was ironically at a mine like this only it was active, there were two guards there and initially I knocked out one but….turns he knew my real name.”

Francesca only nodded in sympathy and put a comforting hand on his back and rubbed it a bit before pulling her hand away as she gave him a friendly, warm smile. Kenny paused for a few seconds as the feelings of regret over the whole thing was cropping back up again. He must’ve done a good job suppressing the feelings enough to fool him into thinking he got over it. He can remember all the times he told John about his past and how he had the same feelings reliving the memories as he just did when telling Francesca. 

But he would affix those tales before with saying that that was the old him, maybe he was living a lie all these years and being a preacher was actually the right calling for him all along. Well that and being a farmer along with the usual raising a family. 

Right now the memories of the first and only kill he ever did was flooding back to the forefront of his mind and it was causing him to feel all that pent up guilt and regret he felt over the incident. All of five years worth of pent up regret was washing over him, it was in the forefront of his mind now. He realized he ignored the feelings for the sake of believing the delusion he set up in his mind that he was cut out for this criminal life as much as John was. Plus he didn't want to bug John about his feelings over it. He clearly made his stance on the subject back in the tavern when they first met. 

"I killed someone..." Kenny said with latent sorrow under his breath before he and Francesca took notice of John and Alex standing behind them. Kenny look at John worriedly for half a minute, hoping he wasn't there too long, "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to make a decision," John said, walking closer to the taller mam.

Kenny stared at his friend then asked, still worried as he knew John didn't want sentimentality like that to get in the way of looting and raising hell. The twins were just silently watching, "....So you gonna kill me then?"

John shook his head, "No, no I like you enough Kenny, you're a great friend to me and always have been, and I know you can trust me to be honest with you so I'm going to be blunt here."

"Ok..."

"I don't think you're cut out enough to be a criminal, or specifically a long term one such as me. I think you'll be better off going back to being a preacher Kenneth. I remember all the times you told me about your past life before you met me. You're a man of the bible at heart."

"But....but John you saw what I become when we first met, I can't go back to being a drunken preacher again.'

"Well there's your problem there, you drank too much. If you stave off the drinking enough then you'll go back to being the respected preacher you once were. Maybe some of it my fault, maybe I shouldn't push you so much into this lifestyle in the beginning, but for what its worth you have been a great asset to me all these years. So here's what I'm going to do, you take half of the money and half of the gold, take the twins and head to Mexico."

Kenny looked at the twins then back at John as the smaller cowboy went to grab an empty spare bag they had and put two grand in it before handing it to Kenny. He took it as he spoke, "You want me to take the twins too?”

“I thought we’ve been of great help at Denver,” Alex said, confused. John was putting some gold pieces into Kenny’s bag while he looked at him reassuringly.

“You have, both you and your sister. But you’re still young and..Denver was your first experience robbing a bank correct?”

The twins nodded honestly and took a soft sigh with his head down as if he was thinking before looking back up, “Yeah thought so….I started stealing for survival when I was around 10 or so, didn’t start being a thief for fun until I was 18 so by that time I had the basics down. Plus I worked alone for most of my life, so I think it would be better honestly for all of us if I go back to working alone, and you Kenny to go back to being a preacher man. I’m not telling you this because I think you’re useless now to me, I’m telling you as a friend.”

John had looked at the twins then points at Kenny as he said the last part before mounting his horse before looking back at the others, “Forgive me for being all mushy and crap, but I do consider you a true friend Kenny and I’ll know you’ll be good to these kids.”

“I will always remember you John.”

“Thanks,” John smiled and his face soften before turning serious again, “Alright I’m gonna continue on to San Francisco, you three backtrack a bit and there should be a path headed south. I want you to head to Mexico without looking back got it! I don’t want any of you to get caught.”

“Yes sir,” Alex said while the other two nodded.

“And one last thing I require and this is important, you were never part of the Big and Rich gang, never was a gang in the first place and you never met me. If anyones asks especially any sheriff or marshal, you don’t know who or what the hell they are talking about.”

“We can do that John,” Kenny nodded with a smile.

“No habla ingles senor,” Alex lightly joked which elicited a chuckle and a smile from John. He pointed at him.

“Exactly, you got it Alex.”

John took the reins and looked back again at Kenny and the twins before taking off, “Hopefully we’ll run into each other again.”

With that he took off down the dusty road and they all stood there watching him leave just as fast as he came into their lives. For the twins it didn’t really affect them as much, they only really knew him for a few days, but for Kenny he felt like he didn’t know what to do with his life now. He just stood there at the same spot looking in the direction John had left like he was lost in his own world with an aimless gaze before Francisca brought him back to reality.

“You alright Kenny? I imagine this doesn’t make you feel too good…” Francisca said, giving him a comforting hug.

“I just lost the only close friend I had for the last five years and with his lifestyle, I might as well expect to not see him again anytime soon.”

“Well if its anything, you’re definitely not alone by any means, you still have us.”

“Oh yeah right...I’m sorry, I do consider you two friends of mine as well.”

Alex got up on his horse before he chimed in, “It's alright. Now lets get out of here before John comes back and whips up a storm at us for not leaving,” Alex said, causing the other two to laugh lightly before they mounted their own horses, “Ok so umm….to Mexico!”

Alex shouted with a light laugh before he nudged his horse into a fast run with Kenny and Francisca following after him in the opposite direction that John had took. 

\------------

Surprisingly it didn’t take Kenny too long to get his life back together, after they arrived in Mexico at a small village not to far from the border. They ended up buying a small house to live in for the time being and figure out what they wanted to do. Kenny wanted to go back east, towards Virginia, the twins didn't really care too much where they lived so they told him they'll come with. That made him feel better as he didn't want to eventually lose his newfound friends. Plus he had a feeling he and Francesca might be becoming more than friends. 

He was right, after a year of living in a Mexican village while abiding their time until Kenny felt it was safe enough to go back without the threat of being caught by the authorities, he and Francesca had fallen in love and declared they wanted to get married someday. Of course Alex knew they've always been in love, having been living in the same vicinity as them and couldn't be happier for them.

"Plus I think I'm pregnant," Francesca added on with a smile.

"That's great.” Alex exclaimed in a happy smile.

"It is, made me think of my two others boys....I haven't seen them in years and I would like for them to know about their baby sibling," Kenny said, hugging Francesca with an arm around her shoulder and a smile on his face, "I would like to see them again."

"You think it'll be safe enough to head east through Texas?" 

Kenny paused in silence for a minute then softly sighed in resignation, "Probably should wait another year or so to be safe." 

Kenny really did wanted to go back East and settle somewhere where the people haven’t heard about him being part of the infamous Big and Rich gang and he can raise a family. Down here though no one really recognized him, or if they did, they didn’t care. Except he was on the rare times and he already had an alibi backed up just in case for when those times came. He would play it off like it was his twin brother and that would work well enough. Helped too that he went by William in the village, or more accurately as everybody else said it, Guillermo.

He didn’t mind being called that, even Alex did interchangeably with William every now and then. The three made their living by farming for the village and Kenny helped out in the local church, being a substitute for the village preacher if he got too sick to come in on that particular Sunday. Kenny was happy he already knew enough Spanish to settle in and his Spanish has gotten better over the two years he’s been here already.

They waited another year until they felt it was safe enough to cross into Texas and head due east towards Virginia. In the process Kenny’s son had been born, and he decided to name him after the closest friend he ever known since he was a kid. Francesca had also wanted to keep the trend going in her family of giving a baby a Nahuatl nmiddle name so therefore the baby was named Juan “John” Daniel Tonatiuh Alphin.

“I thought Tonatiuh would be fitting because he has the brightest smile I ever seen on a baby and well...John light up your life like a sun after meeting you all those years ago, so I figured sun..sun god...Tonatiuh.” Francesca had explained with a sweet smile. Kenny felt touched and gave her a warm, loving kiss before telling her that he loved it.

Currently now they were packing up the necessities onto the horses one early morning. They had wanted to get a good start on their journey northeast. Kenny had set his sights on going to his hometown, Culpeper, he knew that's where his sons and other family might be. But he knew there was a chance that his sons would live elsewhere.

However many months later when they were owe to reaching their destination, Kenny started having second thoughts. What if they somehow heard what he was doing in his old life? If they did then he imagined they would be ashamed of what he become. Logically he knew there was a good possibility that they haven't, but a part of him couldn't help but worry. They would be so disappointed and he couldn't bare to even imagine it. They had raised him to be a good guy, to walk on the right side of the line, and he ended up letting his family down by becoming a criminal. 

He didn't even want to think how they'll react if he told them he killed someone. Even if it was an accident.

So Kenny ended up deciding to take a detour and lead his new little family to a small town in West Virginia to settle down. They soon bought a little house to live in and Kenny became the town's new preacher in just 6 months to replace the old one who quit due to health. He eventually became the respected preacher he used to be, though certainly not the same person. He woved some of the things he experienced and learned into his sermons. He was always careful to keep it vague though, he didn't want to freak anyone out if he went to explicit detail.

"....and I should know for I've sinned too..." Kenny continued on in the middle of the sermon, looking around the room. His wife, brother in law and now 4 year old son were sitting in the front pew. Seeing his family there have always made him feel more at ease, "I may have sinned more than some of you to be truthful...but I knew the Lord would show me mercy just like he would for each and every one of you...so I got down on my knees and I......" Kenny stopped in mid sentence as he and everyone else can hear the door opening to reveal a man in a cowboy hat. Kenny was frozen in place with a surprise expression on his face.

"John?...." 

"Please continue Reverend Alphin," John said with a pleasant smile as he walked down the middle and took a seat next to his family. Kenny took a moment to notice that he had a less intimidating vibe to him, even though he was dressed pretty much the same. Maybe it was the tone of voice, and the fact John wasn't coming in here causing a commotion in another heist of his. 

"Right...where was I..." Kenny said to himself, taking a breath before picking up where he left off. 

His son however was staring at the newcomer with awe and John chuckled softly to himself as his mother reminded him to listen to his daddy's sermon. Kenny was glad that there wasn’t much going on after the sermon so they were able to talk to John and catch up once the sermon was finished.

The first thing Kenny did once they were all alone and everybody had left was to give John a hug. Normally John didn't care too much for hugs, but this time he hugged him back as well. The feeling of being overjoyed was mutual between them, they both had wonder when they would meet each other again. The twins were also happy to see John again and Kenny's little son said hi from Francesca's arms.

"Are you my namesake?...." Juan asked with such curiosity and wonder that John had to laugh and smile. 

John looked up at Kenny with a lighthearted smile and couldn't resist making a bit of a quip, "You named your son after some lifelong outlaw who does nothing but steals shit?"

"Haha....yeah his full name is Juan Daniel Tonatiuh Alphin. And well you're my friend and you were right, you were right all along being a preacher is my true calling in life, even if I admittedly did have some fun there being an outlaw."

"You did, but it just really wasn't in your nature."

"Right. Speaking of are you still doing the criminal thing?"

John shook his head, "No, I...I decided to quit. To be honest I was getting tired of being in my forties, having done nothing in my life but stealing and robbing banks. I want to do something meaningful before its my time. I realized that when I was in jail."

"You were in jail? How did you finally get caught?..." Alex asked.

"I ended up being a part of a group who ended up being a bunch of idiots. They already had a plan to rob this bank somewhere in Wyoming but they wanted my help. Well their plan was the shoddiest piece of shit excuse of a plan I've heard so I tried to offered suggestions, and if they heeded them well I probably be somewhere else, but they wouldn't listen. The leader was one of those arrogant types, he thought he was right about everything. I wanted the money cause I was kinda running low so I went with it."

"So the plan failed halfway and the sheriff and his men showed up?"

"Yeah. I was the least resistance, everyone else was yelling and cussing, trying to fight their way to escape, One or two escaped but most all got caught. Serves them right, they were all idiots who were just nothing but poor amateurs. I ended up ratting them all out and told them where I saw the two escapees run towards. It turned out that group have been a problem for the local counties up in the area I was at. The sheriff offered me a lighter sentence if I snitched on them so thats what I did. I even gave them information on where they hid the loot of their last job," John lightly laughed, "It pays to overhear sometimes, so I ended up about 3 years compared to everyone else."

"Only three years? Thats pretty light considering all the things you've done..."

"Yeah I thought so too. The Sheriff didn't realize just who I was exactly and if he did realize later then it was too late. I've already been in front of the town judge and sent to prison. The warden however recognized me and all I had to say was they probably aren't too good at facial recognition," John laughed lightly for a second before fading away into a happy smile, "He just said to be on my good behavior and he'll pretend he hasn't heard about me and at first I thought about escaping, but then I realized I was growing tired of what I was doing.. You know the first thing I did when I got out was to try and find you. I..I missed you Kenny and I missed having good friends in general. Imagine my surprise to find you here, I figured you would be at Culpeper at least."

Kenny chuckled in a bit of an awkward tone, "Yeah I was gonna take everyone there...but I just couldn't face my family knowing what I've done in the past."

"Oh. Yeah I understand, but you probably have to face them sometime Kenny, I know I faced my siblings after running into them on the way over here."

"How did they react?"

"Well they were happy to see me alive and well. They knew what kind of life I've been living and they were happy to hear when I told them I was done with being a...bad guy. I didn't really mentioned your name but I told them I was heading to a preacher man I met years ago to confess my sins to."

"Really?....Wait I already know what you did...."

"Yeah, but if I had told them otherwise then they would've suggested a local preacher or something. I said I wanted to go to a preacher I can trust and thankfully they understood that."

“So this means you’re staying here? For good?

John nodded, ‘Yeah, I got no where to be and I don’t know much about anything else….so I’m gonna need some help.”

Kenny smiled, “I will be happy to help you John...we all would. And you can stay with us for as long as you like.”

“Thanks Kenneth.”


End file.
